Pope Benedict XVI also announced that his secretary of state personally would deliver a papal donation to relief efforts.
“For the numerous dead, I invoke the peace of the Lord; for the injured, a speedy recovery; and I assure those living in extreme conditions that the church is with you with all its spiritual and material solidarity,” the Pope said Aug. 19.
He said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, who had a visit to Peru scheduled before the earthquake struck, would expand his late-August trip to show the Pope’s concern for the victims. The Vatican said Aug. 20 that the cardinal would deliver a papal cheque for $200,000 “for the urgent needs of the people” suffering the consequences of the disaster.
The earthquake has killed at least 540 people, but United Nations and Peruvian authorities have said they expect that number to climb. The quake also destroyed approximately 34,000 homes in the region south of Peru’s capital, Lima. At least 200 people were buried in the rubble of a church in Pisco. Another 50 bodies were pulled from the ruins of the historic Senor de Luren Church in Ica. Seventeen died in another church in Ica.
Development and Peace is working with Caritas Peru and Caritas Internationalis to assess where aid can best be used. Development and Peace funds five partner agencies in Peru with a focus on working with children and building up community associations for the rural poor. Development and Peace is in touch with these agencies to find out what they will need to cope with the earthquake.
Donations for earthquake victims in Peru can be sent through Development and Peace by:
- calling 1-888-664-3387;
- going on line at www.devp.org then clicking on the www.sos.devp.org link for a secure Internet transaction;
- mailing a cheque payable to Development and Peace to 1425 Rene-Levesque W., 3rd Floor, Montreal, Que., H3G 1T7. Include “Earthquake Peru” in the memo field of your cheque.
(With files from CNS.)